The present invention relates to copying machines. More particularly, the invention relates to a copying machine whose size is sufficiently small that it is convenient to carry.
A conventional copying machine includes a number of fundamental components such as an illumination light source, an image forming optical system, a photosensitive element, a developing mechanism, a fixing mechanism, and a sheet feeding mechanism. Therefore, a conventional copying machine is necessarily intricate in construction and accordingly bulky.
Attempts at miniaturization and reduction in manufacturing cost of the conventional copying machine have been limited. In fact, it has been found impossible as a practical matter to reduce the size of a conventional copying machine to the extent that it is convenient to carry.
In view of the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide a copying machine in which the copying operation can be satisfactorily achieved without using fundamental components such as an image forming optical system, a photosensitive element, a developing mechanism and a fixing mechanism which are employed in a conventional copying machine and which is simple in construction and sufficiently small that it is convenient to carry.